The grinding world of politics from the Los Angeles Daily News

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Do projects help or hurt

A residential building boom is exploding near Northridge Fashion Square, where the construction of nearly 2,000 apartments and condos is expected to worsen traffic congestion and result in the demolition of a venerable Kmart store. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

Three of the projects are mixed use, with residential units built atop retail space. The fourth is a senior-citizens complex that includes a wing for assisted-living tenants.

Developers of the four complexes say they’re proceeding despite the nationwide slump in home construction, with the projects’ proximity to restaurants and the regional mall giving them the impetus to build.

“Obviously, the economy is affecting construction right now. But the way we look at it is we hope to catch it back on the upswing when we open,” said Ed McCoy, vice president of Fairfield Residential LLC, which is building two of the projects.